MATR Newsletter – June 22, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

Always do right. 

This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest. 

Mark Twain’s Postulate

Corona Virus Information

• With cases rising, Ada County (Boise), Idaho will move back to stage 3, bars will close

  The change will put the state’s largest population center at a more restrictive set of regulations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Montana’s tribal economies face unique virus-related hurdles

  “Due to a long history of racist public policies, ongoing settler colonialism, and underinvestment, Montanans who are American Indian disproportionately experience underlying health conditions and economic challenges that heighten the risk of the pandemic.”

• Hamilton, Montana based Visage Creates Ion Mask That Breaks Bacterial Cells, 99.9% Effective and Can Be Used 30 Times

  Visage from Hamilton, Montana has created AN ION ACTIVATED BACTERIA AND VIRUS DEFENSE SHIELD with the potential to destroy or deactivate 100s of species of bacteria and numerous species of harmful viruses with 99.9% efficiency.

Come Home Montana

• Cities offer cash as they compete for new residents amid remote work boom – Living in Montana Is Its Own Reward

  “They pay taxes locally, they buy houses locally, so whether or not the company is headquartered here, we want the high wage earners that can be remote to move here.”

• Why working from home might be here to stay – Make Montana Your Home

  Working from home has exploded since the start of the pandemic. While it might seem temporary, it could become the new normal. Here’s why.

Montana Department of Commerce

• Montana Department of Commerce – HUD Publishes FY 2020 Income Limits and Rent Limits

  How Does this Affect the Income Calculator?

• OPENS TODAY! Montana Loan Deferment Program

  The Montana Loan Deferment Program is facilitated by Montana banks, credit unions, and lending institutions in partnership with the State of Montana. Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) will be used to provide payments to participating lenders to convert existing commercial loans to interest only status

• NPS report: Yellowstone brought $507M to surrounding economies in 2019

  “The positive economic impacts of Yellowstone are essential to the economies of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho,”

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 6-21-20

  Here is our Top 20 for this week celebrating work and successes to grow and strengthen the Great Falls regional economy — Montana’s Golden Triangle.

• Readers share what makes Great Falls, Montana great

  Here’s some of our favorite, positive responses.

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Kalispell Chamber Launches Youth Entrepreneurship Program for Kalispell This Summer

  Registration for this year’s program will open on July 1, giving participants eight weeks to develop their business before Kalispell’s official Lemonade Day on August 22.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Montana’s family farms and ranches face uncertain future as producers age out

  Montana is the oldest state west of the Mississippi, and demographic projections show the state growing collectively older as more Montanans enter their senior years.

• Government-funded SBIR R&D is too important to squander on unworthy startups

  Despite its strengths, the SBIR program suffers from abuses that cause critics to see it as corporate welfare.

Montana Business

• Merrill Bradshaw ​Carpentry – Premium furniture designed and hand crafted with a modern touch

  It is simply amazing, without reserve, and the best piece of fine furniture we have ever encountered.

  ​-Ted LaCriox Arlee, Montana

• Potential buyers flocking to Bozeman real estate market

  “Bozeman was on the map, and it has a big, red flashing light now.”

Funding and Building your Business

• Boise State University Venture College Newsletter (June 17, 2020)

  The Venture College Incubator is a 10 week, not-for-credit program, designed to help students launch their business idea and gain customer traction. Services include classes and mentoring, seed funding, connections to investors and Treasure Valley CEO’s, and much more. Learn More about Incubator and Startup Services.

• The new startup playbook: It’s about avoiding ridiculous ‘unicorn’ habits

  Delay raising money for as long as you can

• 4 things your company can do now to be ready for the future of work

  Companies that are quickly moving away from business as usual and adopting new practices to attract, engage, and retain their workforce are coming out on top.

• 24 Words and Phrases That Make You Sound Boring and Turn People Off

  Try to avoid these overused and uninspiring words and expressions.

Wyoming Business

• Documents show University of Wyoming’s secret investigations not limited to Nichols

  Taken together, the two high-profile separations suggest a pattern of quietly investigating and pushing out top administrators. In both instances the processes were shielded almost entirely from public view

21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• The Need for Upskilling and Reskilling in a Time of Crisis

  State policymakers can take steps to ensure the quality of non-degree credentials by establishing processes and criteria to evaluate the credentials and ensure they are connected to career paths in high-demand fields

• “Dad, How Do I?” provides how-to videos for kids without dads.

  Breathe in this wholesome content and find your faith in humanity restored, at least for an hour or two.

• How to Teach Kids to Be Independent Thinkers – Happy Father’s Day

  How to Raise Successful People, a book by Esther Wojcicki, a teacher and the mother of Susan Wojcicki (the CEO of YouTube), Janet Wojcicki (a Fulbright winner), and Anne Wojcicki, cofounder of 23andMe. Steve Jobs’ daughter Lisa was one of her students.

• Sen. Jon Tester Calls for $175 Billion to Help Schools to Reopen, Address Opportunity Gaps

  “There can be no economic recovery in either the short term or the long term unless we make the investments necessary to safely reopen schools and ensure continuity of education during the on-going pandemic,” said Tester and his colleagues.

Careers

• Just graduated? Here’s how to start looking for a job

  Between the virus and the recession, searching for a job can feel daunting. But it’s not impossible.

Transportation

• We Need More Car-Optional Neighborhoods. Here’s How to Get Started.

  Car optional neighborhoods solve many problems.

Energy and Climate Change

• Researchers pioneer revolutionary keg-sized nuclear reactor with a 3D printed core

  Cheaper, more efficient, and much smaller, yet less risky and less powerful that traditional nuclear plants, the new technology offers a new path forward for a source of carbon-free energy.

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